Manually operated removeable and pivoting fixing clip, and connection device including it, particularly for a vehicle seat cushion

Abstract

The invention relates to a manually operated fixing clip for joining together removably and so that they can pivot two elements one of which carries the clip and the other a rod forming a pivot pin. The clip has a flexible lip forming, together with another lip, an elastic pinching slit for the entrance of the rod into a housing. A movable bar connected to the clip by elastic tags is placed between two lips either to move them apart sufficiently to allow the rod to leave, or to block the flexible lip in order to prevent the rod from leaving, depending on the embodiment.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A manually operated clip for removably joining two elements such that the elements can pivot, said clip, in use, being adapted to be carried by one of the elements and being adapted to removably engage an anchoring rod carried by the other of the two elements, the anchoring rod functioning as a pivot pin, said clip comprising: a relatively rigid body having a U-shaped central recess forming a housing adapted to receive an anchoring rod, said housing being open to the outside of the body by an elastic pinching slit which widens towards the outside of said body, said pinching slit being delimited between two lips of the body, a first of said two lips being elastically flexible, one end of said flexible lip being joined to a wall of said body and the other end of said flexible lip being free, said flexible lip being movable between a rest position in which the flexible lip is inclined such that its free end points towards the second of the two lips and towards the inside of the recess, and a pushed back position in which the flexible lip is pushed back towards the wall of the body to which it is attached whereby, in use, and when the flexible lip is in its pushed back position, an anchoring rod can be moved into and out of said recess; and   a movable member, said member being flexibly connected to said body and being movable between a rest position in which it is outside the body and an active position in which it is in said pinching slit;   the clip being arranged, in use, such that forcible movement of an anchoring rod through said pinching slit when the movable member is not in its active position can push back the flexible lip to its pushed back position to allow the rod to be inserted into said recess to allow a relative pivoting of the clip and the rod, such that, when a rod is moved into said recess, the flexible lip can return elastically to its rest position in which its free end constitutes a locking means opposing the exit of a rod from said recess, and such that movement of said movable member into said active position in said pinching slit causes the flexible lip to move from its rest position to its pushed-back position whereby an anchoring rod can be moved out of said recess and through said pinching slit in order to disengage the clip from the rod.   
     
     
       2. Clip according to claim 1, wherein said recess is substantially circular between said pinching slit and wherein the movable member is an elongate and rigid bar substantially parallel to the axial direction of the recess and having longitudinal ends projecting axially on either side of the body of the clip and by which the movable member can be moved at least from one to the other of its rest and active positions. 
     
     
       3. Clip according to claim 1, wherein the movable member is flexibly connected to the body by two elastically deformable tags each tag connecting one of the longitudinal ends of the movable member to the body, said movable member and said tags forming a frame which straddles at least part of the clip. 
     
     
       4. Clip according to claim 1, wherein tile rigid body of the clip has substantially the shape of a U-section, the legs of the U-shaped body, constituting at least one of said lips, being secured to a base portion of said body, an internal face of the base delimiting at least part of said recess, an external face of said base portion having tubular portions projecting with respect to external faces of said legs, said tubular portions forming a dovetail for, in use, attaching the clip to an element, at least one of said tubular portions being extended axially for anchoring the movable member to the body of the clip. 
     
     
       5. A clip according to claim 1, fabricated of plastic. 
     
     
       6. A manually operated clip for removably joining two elements such that the elements can pivot, said clip, in use, being adapted to be carried by one of the elements and being adapted to removably enage an anchoring rod carried by the other of the two elements, the anchoring rod functioning as a pivot pin, said clip comprising: a relatively rigid body having a first-housing adapted to receive an anchoring rod and a second housing adapted to receive a movable member, said first housing being open to the outside of the body by respective first and second elastic pinching slits which widen towards the outside of the body, said first pinching slit being delimited between two lips of the body, one of the two lips of the first pinching slit being elastically flexible, said second pinching slit also being delimited between two lips of the body, one of the two lips of the second pinching slit being said elastically deformable lip;   a movable member, said movable member being flexibly connected to said body and being movable between a rest position in which it is outside the body to an active position in said second housing;   said rigid body being substantially U-shaped in section, one of the legs of the U-shaped body, constituting at least one of the lips, being secured to a base portion of said body, an internal face of the base portion delimiting at least part of said first housing, an external face of said base portion having tubular portions projecting with respect to external faces of said legs, said tubular portions forming a dovetail for, in use, attaching the clip to one of the two elements, at least one of said tubular portions being extended axially for anchoring the movable member to the body of the clip;   the clip being arranged, in use, such that when the movable member is not in said active position in said second housing, forcible engagement of a rod in said first elastic pinching slit and towards the first housing can move the flexible lip sufficiently away from the other lip of the first pinching slit to allow the rod to enter the first housing, such that forcible engagement of the movable member in the second pinching slit towards the second housing can move the flexible lip sufficiently away from the other lip of the second pinching slit to allow the movable member to enter the second housing into its active position in the body, in which active position the movable member holds the flexible lip in a position such that the flexible lip rigidly opposes the exit of a rod out of the first housing, and such that, when the movable member is moved out of its active position in said second housing, a rod can be removed from said first housing by being passed through said first pinching slit.   
     
     
       7. Clip according to claim 6, wherein said first and second housings are substantially circular between said pinching slits, wherein the movable member is an elongate and rigid bar substantially parallel to the axial direction of the housings, and wherein said movable member has longitudinal ends projecting axially on either side of the body of the clip and by which the movable member can be moved at least from one to the other of its rest and active positions. 
     
     
       8. Clip according to claim 6, wherein the movable member is flexibly connected to the body by two elastically deformable tags each connecting one of the longitudinal ends of the movable member to the body so as to form a frame which straddles at least part of the clip. 
     
     
       9. Clip according to claim 6, fabricated of plastic. 
     
     
       10. Device for the removable and pivoting connection of a raisable vehicle seat cushion on a base connected to the body of said vehicle, said device including at least one anchoring rod intended, in use, to be fixed on one of the seat cushion and base, and at least one clip intended, in use, to be fixed on the other of the seat cushion and base for removably joining the seat cushion and base such that the seat cushion and base can pivot about said anchoring rod, said clip comprising: a relatively rigid body having a U-shaped central recess forming a housing adapted to receive an anchoring rod, said housing being open to the outside of the body by an elastic pinching slit which widens towards the outside of said body, said pinching slit being delimited between two lips of the body, a first of said two lips being elastically flexible, one end of said flexible lip being joined to a wall of said body and the other end of said flexible lip being free, said flexible lip being movable between a rest position in which the flexible lip is inclined such that its free end points towards the second of the two lips and towards the inside of the recess and a pushed back position in which the flexible lip is pushed back towards the wall of the body to which it is attached whereby, in use, and when the flexible lip is in its pushed back position, an anchoring rod can be moved into and out of said recess; and   a movable member, said member being flexibly connected to said body and being movable between a rest position in which it is outside the body to an active position in said pinching slit;   the clip being arranged, in use, such that forcible movement of an anchoring rod through said pinching slit when the movable member is not in its active position can push back the flexible lip to its pushed back position to allow the rod to be inserted into said recess to allow a relative pivoting of the clip and the rod, such that, when a rod is moved into the recess, the flexible lip can return elastically to its rest position in which its free end constitutes a locking means opposing the exit of a rod from said recess, and such that movement of said movable member into said active position in said pinching slit causes the flexible lip to move from its rest position to its pushed back position whereby an anchoring rod can be moved out of said recess and through said pinching slit in order to disengage the clip from the rod.   
     
     
       11. Device according to claim 10, wherein the anchoring rod is adapted to be fixed rigidly to the body of a vehicle, and wherein the clip is adapted to be fixed to a framework tab of a seat cushion. 
     
     
       12. Device according to claim 11, wherein the body of the clip has a dovetail-shaped part adapted to slide in a profiled channel formed in a framework tab of a seat cushion for clamping elastically around the clip. 
     
     
       13. Device for the removable and pivoting connection of a raisable vehicle seat cushion on a base connected to the body of said vehicle, said device including at least one anchoring rod intended, in use, to be fixed on one of the seat cushion and base, and at least one clip intended, in use, to be fixed on the other of the seat cushion and base for removably joining the seat cushion and base such that the seat cushion and base can pivot about said anchoring rod, said clip comprising: a relatively rigid body having a first housing adapted to receive an anchoring rod and a second housing adapted to receive a movable member, said first housing being open to the outside of the body by respective first and second elastic: pinching slits which widen towards the outside of the body, said first pinching slit being delimited between two lips of the body, one of the two lips of the first pinching slit being elastically flexible, said second pinching slit also being delimited between two lips of the body, one of the two lips of the second pinching slit being said elastically deformable lip;   a movable member, said movable member being flexibly connected to said body and being movable between a rest position in which it is outside the body to an active position in said second housing;   said rigid body being substantially U-shaped in section, one of the legs of the U-shaped body, constituting at least one of the lips, being secured to a base portion of said body, an internal face of the base portion delimiting at least part of said first housing, an external face of said base portion having tubular portions projecting with respect to external faces of said legs, said tubular portions forming a dovetail for, in use, attaching the clip to one of the two elements, at least one of said tubular portions being extended axially for anchoring the movable member to the body of the clip;   the clip being arranged, in use, such that when the movable member is not in said active position in said second housing, forcible engagement of a rod in said first elastic pinching slit and towards the first housing can move the flexible lip sufficiently away from the other lip of the first pinching slit to allow the rod to enter the first housing, such that forcible engagement of the movable member in the second pinching slit towards the second housing can move the flexible lip sufficiently away from the other lip of the second pinching slit to allow the movable member to enter the second housing into its active position in the body, in which active position the movable member holds the flexible lip in a position such that the flexible lip rigidly opposes the exit of a rod out of the first housing, and such that, when the movable member is moved out of its active position in said second housing, a rod can be removed from said first housing by being passed through said first pinching slit.   
     
     
       14. Device according to claim 13, wherein the anchoring rod is adapted to be fixed rigidly to the body of a vehicle, and wherein the clip is adapted to be fixed to a framework tab of a seat cushion. 
     
     
       15. Device according to claim 14, wherein the body of the clip has a dovetail-shaped part adapted to slide in a profiled channel formed in a framework tab of a seat cushion for clamping elastically around the clip.